Halloween Special 2020 - The Rats by James Herbert

It's Halloween, so Phil and I enjoy some spooky old fashioneds and engage with the horror of James Herbert's 1974 debut novel, The Rats!
It's got the lot. A creepy hero... out of order tramps... vicious critters... and an abundance of thigh references!
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[@batananishagwa1038]

One of my all time favourites.

[@malcolmjelley561]

I must have been 11 when I 1st read The Rats and I was hooked on James Herbert and over time I brought and read all of his books sadly passed away

[@chloesdad1000]

I remember reading this around 1980 when I got it out of my library. Always remember the bit about the rat dragging the guy by the ear and taking him into it's lair. A fine read if ever there was one.

[@GuacamoleyNacho]

Oh my gosh I’m reading part the Lair right now. The ratkill and soldiers are now in the forest fighting thousands of rats lunging from trees!

[@Ian-lp1pr]

I read part of the graveyard scene in my English class, it did not go down too well and the teacher stopped me part way through the reading with 'I think that's quite enough, thank you'

[@margaretmoore7034]

Imagine Xmas dinner at the Herbert residence when the Turkey is ready to carve.. I reckon he must have been sat red faced as the family pulled the piss shouting stuff like " hey dad, thats a cracking bit of thigh ! " .. bastard he'd be thinking.

[@breakfastintheruinspodcast]

Nobody else would get any

[@chrisgrove7829]

I was a huge fan of the Canadian film Deadly Eyes 1982, directed by Robert Clouse, and had to read the novel that it was based on, and I got it say, James Herbert is the British Stephen King. Stephen King loves this guy by the way:) extremely good writer:) He’s able to really capture sexual explicitness along with what it’s like to be eaten by rats alive in all its explicitness. As an American who lives in Reno, NV where the only rats that exist are squirrels and muskrats it you count them. I got to say, I love this shit. And rats freak the hell out of me, especially dog sized ones, but I respect them, because they’re survivors:) But obviously you both are British, and I totally dig your take on this. Great synopsis:)

[@breakfastintheruinspodcast]

Thanks Chris! We enjoyed the film too, it made a really decent effort to capture the essence of the book despite not really being able to match the sleaziness and nastiness. We really need to get around to covering The Fog and/or Lair. Maybe this coming Halloween.

[@tetsucat13]

Fantastic. I remember buying "the rats" from Lewis. I was the first person at school to get it . We loved it and it scared many people as I lent it around. I still have it but someone let their sister scratch across on the rats face on the cover. I have just picked up two copies from eBay but they don't have that faided, yellowed, well read and passed around feel to them. I also bought "the Lair", the cats, squirm, jaws,and "in the tradition of The Rats -Night of the CRABS" back in the day. Love the way you read and discuss the book. I'd forgotten how Aweful some bits were. Thanks.

[@breakfastintheruinspodcast]

Thanks for the lovely feedback, and check out the following Halloween Special for our thoughts on... Night of the Crabs...

[@Truegho]

The Rats is my all time fave horror novel.

[@capatainnemo]

then you need to read the lair and domain :)

[@Truegho]

I have read ALL of the RATS Trilogy.

[@zippymufo9765]

@@GuacamoleyNacho There's a fourth part in the form of a graphic novel called THE CITY.

[@zippymufo9765]

@@GuacamoleyNacho The graphic novel is okay. I wouldn't call it crucial, though. You can find a PDF of it online. Don't pay any money for a copy, it's OOP and expensive..

[@zippymufo9765]

@@GuacamoleyNacho Exact opposite actually 😂 It's set hundreds of years later and the rats have evolved to an intelligent dominant species.

[@michellehills9647]

I read this as a kid, my mum had all the horror books especially the Pan compilations, they were horrific, but they gave me a love for all things horror. i have 3 kids, 2 of them love it like me 1 hates it like her dad. I re read the Rats a few months ago, and obviously it’s very politically incorrect, every now and then i like to read a Stephen King, James Herbert or Koontz just for nostalgia. This podcast made me laugh, very enjoyable 😊

[@breakfastintheruinspodcast]

Thanks for listening Michelle! Will definitely revisit another horror novel again for Halloween this year.

[@michellehills9647]

@@breakfastintheruinspodcast Look forward to that

[@pertuk]

The woman cutting her front bottom with a spirits bottle was a hot topic of conversation at school

[@breakfastintheruinspodcast]

Same.

[@secluded2399]

He did a aftermath of the rats on the graphic novel "the city" one of my favourite graphic novels.

[@spencergregory8049]

I remember that. I used to have it. Very post apocalyptic

[@ringo6713]

Will have to look this up

[@djbenavit]

This is one of my faves.....my surname is harris born in the 70’s and I’m from Poplar/stepney 😂.....however I’m not a teacher!.......this could do with a big budget movie release! But they should keep it in London....not mess with the story like deadly eyes did!

[@breakfastintheruinspodcast]

We watched the Canadian movie as a follow up. It wasn't nearly as bad as I remember from seeing it on vhs in the 80s and there are some pretty good bits from the book (cinema stands out). Then we went ahead and watched Slugs too! Hilarious.

[@djbenavit]

@@breakfastintheruinspodcast where did you watch it? I’ve been trying to find that deadly eyes movie 😊

[@stimv1]

@@djbenavit picked up the Spanish blu ray off eBay

[@djbenavit]

@@stimv1 just did the same 😁

[@breakfastintheruinspodcast]

Let me know whet what you reckon 👌

[@sihaves8808]

Thanks for this. It was really good fun. I loved the James Herbert books as a teenager.

[@breakfastintheruinspodcast]

Glad you enjoyed it! And thanks for commenting too, it makes our day.

[@stephenkissane4268]

Have you read Domain

[@breakfastintheruinspodcast]

Yes, but not since school in the 80s. I appalled my English teacher by writing a 'missing chapter' about Thatcher and her cabinet being eaten in the bunker.

[@claireslater6243]

Yes oooh

[@janestim79]

@@breakfastintheruinspodcast why don't I know this?!! Not surprised though 🤣

[@silverfoxdude7]

Its his best book in my opinion

[@FromaTwistedMind]

I concur.... teachers are perverts... & l found the Rats by James Herbert & the Stranglers band in the same year...1976, aged 12. Rattus Norvegicus.

[@anniemay4547]

I remember reading the rats many years ago but the fog I couldn’t read all of it, it was just too much ..

[@janestim79]

Graham Masterton! One of my 'teen' favourites!

[@jackburton1455]

The sleepless messed me up as a teen

[@janestim79]

@@jackburton1455 I need to read that one again, I had my favourites that I would re-read over and over, one of them being Manitou.